Idris Academy for the Gifted
by cferrer
Summary: He leaned in a bit as did Tessa. Her eyes darted closed and, before she knew it, his lips were on hers. His lips were soft at first. He then brought his fingers up her neck and into her hair, dishevelling her ponytail and making her hair fall down and over her shoulders and collarbone. The kiss deepened as Tessa wrapped her biceps around his neck. Rated T for language.
1. Where the Story Starts

**DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT CASSIE CLARE, THEREFORE I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS OR THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

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Tessa Gray had just walked through the baggage claim in some London airport when she spotted her brother's striking blond hair against the drab brick walls. He was sitting in a chair right outside the doors of the airport.

"Nate!" she cried. She sprinted towards him lugging her bag behind her. She hadn't seen him since last summer. He went to the Idris Academy for the Gifted or IAG as most people called it. He was a swimmer, as was she. They both had started swimming in their home of New York when they were 5.

"Tessie," he said endearingly as he moved towards her and gave her a hug. "How was your flight?" Tessa really didn't know how to answer his question. On one hand, she was beyond ecstatic to see Nate, but on the other, she was tired because it was only 8 a.m. in London and would only be about 3 a.m. in New York.

Having gotten almost zero sleep on the plane, she responded with, "I'm just kind of tired, I guess."

"Well," said Nate, "the taxi is waiting out front. We should probably be going anyways. Headmistress Branwell is expecting to meet you at 10."

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hey, so this will be my NaNoWriMo project. I will try to update two to three times a week, but no promises. I will probably not update this story for a week or so because I would kind of like to get a bit more of a head start on it. Also, sorry this chapter is so short, but I couldn't think of a better place to end that I have already written, so the next update will be WAY WAY LONGER! I don't really no much about British education or Time Zones, so if you see anything wrong just PM me or Review. Don't forget to R&R guys!

**THANKS ~**Calliope Ferrer


	2. Her Mistake

**DISCLAIMER: MY NAME IS NOT CASSIE CLARE, THEREFORE I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES OR THE CHARACTERS MENTIONED.**

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"Ahhh, you must be Theresa Gray, correct?" said a small, bird-like woman. Nate turned to her and mouthed something like "I'll be out here." The door closed, and her brother was gone.

"That's me, but I go by Tessa." she said.

"Very well, Tessa," said Headmaster Branwell, "I almost forgot, I'm Headmaster Branwell." Headmaster Branwell reached a small hand out to Tessa. Tessa took it, afraid to shake to the delicate-looking woman's hand too hard. Branwell sat down at her wooden desk and looked at Tessa, expecting her to sit as well.

Tessa sat and waited for the Headmaster to say whatever she would say or do whatever she would do. "Have you had a chance to explore the school a bit yet?"

"No, ma'am," Tessa responded.

"I don't know if your brother has told you anything about how things work here, but I'll still tell you anyway. Then, I have a student ready to take you to your dorm and to show you around," she paused to look at some papers on her desk. "It says here that you are a swimmer and you are specializing in English, correct?"

"That's correct," said Tessa.

"There is only one other swimmer who specializes in English as well," she continued, "Unfortunately, he is busy this afternoon, so he won't be able to show you around." The Headmaster reached into a drawer in her desk and pulled out a book that looked around five-hundred pages. The tiny woman plopped the huge book onto her desk.

"I don't expect you to read all this, but at least skim it a bit, if you will," said Branwell. Tessa was mute. That book was too big, even for her! "I suspect you are tired from you trip, so I'll have Sophie show you to your dorm."

At that exact moment, a girl with brown hair walked in. Tessa held back a gasp as she noticed a scar running from the corner of her mouth to her temple. It was silver and rigid. Tessa couldn't help but stare.

At seeing where Tessa's eyes were, the girl's cheeks went crimson and she bowed her head the slightest bit. The Headmaster's high-pitched voice rang out, "Tessa, this is Sophie Collins. She will be showing you to your dorm and anywhere else if need be."

Tessa kept her mouth clamped except to give thanks to Branwell and say goodbye. She followed Sophie out into the hallway. She couldn't help but look around for her brother, but he was nowhere to be found. "This way Ms. Gray," said Sophie as she led Tessa down a long hallway.

After a few turns, Sophie came to a stop in front of a door. "This is your dorm," said Sophie, "Mine is right over here," she said while walking a few paces to a door right beside the door next to Tessa's. "If you ever need anything, just come and see me."

Sophie began the walk to her dorm, but she turned around, "How stupid of me," she said, "you need your keys." Sophie came over to Tessa. Next to Sophie, Tessa looked pretty big. Tessa probably had about four inches on her, but this wasn't unusual. Sophie plopped something cold and metallic into Tessa's hand.

"Oh, and beware. You have an idiot living next to you," finished Sophie. She then walked into her room and closed the door. Tessa walked to a door and pushed the key into the lock. It wouldn't turn. Tessa jiggled the key in the lock, and banged on the door..

On the other side, was a boy with a shock of black hair. He looked rather mad, but he was one of the most beautiful things Tessa had ever seen.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Early update, but I was wondering, do you guys want this to be a Wessa, Jessa, or JWessa fanfic? Also, should all the other book pairings be the same? Let me know by reviewing, please. Don't forget to R&R guys! Thanks for reading!

**THANKS ~**Calliope Ferrer


	3. The Boy

**AUTHOR'S NOTE #1: **Hey guys. Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm going to start replying to your reviews at the beginning of each new chapter. Here are the past two chapters' so far.

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**dauntlessgirl4life: **Thanks a lot! :D I'll try to update as much as I can.

**Guest:**I'm gonna let you guys decide.

**Guest: **Thanks for telling me. I'm gonna wait a little longer to see what everyone else thinks!

**abbykitty:** I'll see what everyone else says, but thanks!

**Guest:** OK, we'll see. :D

**Guest:** Thanks for responding about everyone else too! I don't know, I'm kind of having trouble deciding!

**Guest:** Thanks so much! You have a pretty good point about Jessa. I absolutely adore Jessa as much as I do Wessa, so we'll see.

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**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES!**

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Tessa couldn't help but stare. Why was this boy in her room? "Can't get enough, can you?" he said with a mix of British and, what sounded like, a Welsh accent and a crooked smirk on his face.

"No, I already have. What in the world are you doing in my room?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed in a look of agitation.

The boy's smirk changed to a look of agitation as well. "What the hell are you talking about?" he growled, "This is my room."

"No, it's mine, Sophie showed me to this room and I would like to know what you are doing in it," said Tessa.

"Let me see your key," said the boy.

"Why should I?" responded Tessa getting more annoyed as the conversation went on.

"Because it has your room number on it," said the boy smugly. He stretched out his palm towards her.

Tessa brought up her hand with the key in it and put it into his hand. He looked down at it and examined the number. "It says 314," he said. Tessa looked at the boy's door and into his room a bit. It was filled with books it stacks on the wall, floor to ceiling, but the number on his door was 312.

"Oh my god," she said, "I'm sorry. How stupid of me."

He put the key back in her hand. "Must be all beauty and no brains," he said and stepped back with a look of almost disgust and closed the door in Tessa's face.

Her cheeks were bright red and she was kind of mad at the boy. Who did he think he was? It was just a mistake. It wasn't as though she was assaulting his door for no reason! She went to the left of the 312 and stopped to check she actually had room 314 before putting the key in the lock.

She stepped inside. The room was around 8x8 and had drab, white walls with brown carpet. Left of the door, there was a small closet and a desk with a bulletin board over it. On the right, there was a white framed twin bed bare of sheets with a nightstand squatting next to it. There was a rather large window that overlooked part of the Thames. There was a small mirror on the wall behind the door. She grabbed her two suitcases and brought them in.

When she was picked up the second suitcase, she noticed a piece of yellow paper on the floor. She picked it up and read:

_Tessa,_

_Just so you know, my room isroom 416._

_Come see me for dinner when you're done unpacking._

_Nate_

Tessa put the note on her desk and pulled her suitcase into the room. She shut the door behind her. She lay down on her bed and heard banging outside. Some girl, or at least it sounded like a girl to Tessa, was banging on a door screaming, "WILL. WILL. OPEN THE DAMNED DOOR!" Tessa tried to block out the noise as she attempted to tame the blush in her cheeks.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** So what do you guys think so far? I'll try to post another chapter later tonight or tomorrow afternoon. The posting of this fic will go through late-December/early-January depending on how long it ends up being. Thanks so much for reading you guys! It really means a lot to me. Don't forget to R&R. 'Til next time.

**THANKS ~** Calliope Ferrer


	4. The Coach

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Just so you know, the first part is Will POV then it switches to Tessa POV later on. I'll be doing this a lot more now. Have fun!

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**No new reviews sadly :( **

**((I wasn't expecting any though, I just posted the last chapter five hours ago ;) ))**

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**DISCLAIMER: I AM ((UNFORTUNATELY)) NOT CASSIE CLARE. IF I WERE, I PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE ON HERE. :)**

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Will pulled open his door, still flustered from his encounter with the girl next door. He still didn't even know her name and had already insulted her. Then, someone started banging on his door. Cecily. "WILL. WILL. OPEN THE DAMNED DOOR!" she said jokingly. Will walked to it, pulled his sister inside, and closed it behind him. The girl in 314 probably already hated him enough.

"Cecy, stop cursing. It's unbecoming," said Will.

"WELL, YOU TOOK TOO LONG TO OPEN THE DOOR!" said Cecily. To be honest, Will didn't really want to talk to her right now. She was probably PMS-y. He hated thinking of his little sister as some sort of woman.

"I'm sorry, Cecy. Please calm down," he said.

"Will, mam isn't answering my phone calls," said Cecily almost on the verge of tears. Cecily hardly was ever like this. She was so independent and strong, she swam with 14 and 15 year olds when she was only 13. She had also skipped a grade! She hardly cried, ever.

"Cecily, I'm sure she's just busy," Will said.

"But I haven't talked to her for a week. It's like as soon as we leave, she forgets about us," she complained. Will knew this. He hadn't talked to her for three weeks, even though he had just been home two days ago. Always so busy, his mam.

Will took Cecily in his arms and sat down with her on his bed. "It's okay, Cecy. She'll call us soon enough." Cecily was tired; Will could tell by the way she put all her weight on him and sagged in his arms. Soon enough, she was snoring. He laid her down on his bed and went out of his room. The hallway was empty except for 314 climbing up the stairs.

He closed his door and went down the stairs towards the dining hall.

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Tessa lay on her bed for a few minutes. She pulled both of her suitcases onto her bed. She unpacked her swimsuits and towels first and hung them up in her closet. They reminded her of the reason she came to IAG in the first place and took her mind off the boy. She put the rest of her clothes on the shelves in her closet. She put the contents of the other suitcase, which were all her books, onto the desk. They filled it up quickly.

Tessa changed from her sweats and into a pair of jeans. She kept her brown hair in the ponytail though; it was rather unruly. She turned off the light and stepped out her door. Down the hall and to the right was a staircase. 416 must be upstairs, she thought. Behind her, she heard a door close and open. It could be any one of the 50+ rooms on this floor. More, hopefully welcoming, people to meet then. She made her way down the new floor to room 416.

She knocked on the door, absolutely praying that this was the right door. Tessa didn't need another episode of what happened with the supposed "Will" next door. Nate swung open the door right away. "I assume you found my letter?" Nate inquired.

"Of course, I did," she replied. How else would she have found his door.

"Well, you know how I said we were going down to dinner? There's been a change of plans," said Nate.

"What kind of change?" asked Tessa, face contorted into confusion.

Nate replied with a smile. "You'll find out, Tessie," he said. He stepped out of his room and closed the door. He walked past Tessa and down the stairs from which she'd come. Nate walked past the third floor, past the second, and then got out of the stairwell on the first floor.

Tessa followed Nate for a bit. She smelt chlorine. Her brother turned suddenly and walked into a door labelled 'Coach Lightwood'. "Coach, this is my sister, Tessa," said Nate to an older-looking man. Tessa also spotted a boy with blond hair. He looked not much older than a high school kid.

"Hello, Ms. Gray. Your brother has told me so much about you," said the older man.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** What did you guys think of the Will POV? And Cecily's meltdown? Tell me in the reviews. I think I'm going to keep the Jessa/Wessa/JWessa decision going until Wednesday. I'll announce then. Don't forget to R&R guys! The review literally make my day!

**THANKS ~ **Calliope Ferrer


	5. Their Meeting

**Dana3161:** Thanks so much! :D

**bow down to me peasants: **I was going to save this chapter until tomorrow, until I woke up to your review. I literally laughed for 15 minutes! I had to reply to you. I totally get what you're saying about the James/Lily thing! Thanks for your review! :D

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**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

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"Come, take a seat," said the man, "I'm Coach Lightwood, I am obviously the IAG swimming coach. This boy over here is my son, Gideon." The boy called Gideon gave Tessa a nod and a half-smile.

Nate took a seat in the chair and slung his feet onto the desk, only to have them swatted away by the coach. "C'mon Gray, knock it off," he said with a disapproving smirk plastered on his face. Tessa took the chair next to Nate and across from Lightwood.

"From what I've seen of your swimming, I think you'll make a wonderful fifth addition to the Year 9 team," he said. "Did Branwell happen to give you your schedule yet?"

"No, sir," Tessa responded, rather shyly. He seemed kind of intimidating at first, but now he was getting more likable.

Then, the coach stood up and walked to a filing cabinet. He spoke to Tessa as he rifled around in it for a bit. "So, your Gray's sister?" he said, "I can't imagine what it's like to live with such a lazy slob." He said it with a smile on his face, as though he were teasing Nate. He closed the drawer and walked back over to his chair. He handed her the paper as he sat back down. It read:

_MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY_

_Morning Practice- 6:45 a.m-8 a.m.- Pool_

_Breakfast- 8 a.m.- 9 a.m._

_Hour 1- 9 a.m. to 9:55 a.m- Algebra 2- Classroom 110, Main Building_

_Hour 2- 10 a.m. to 10:55 a.m.- Biology- Van Allen Lab, Curie Building_

_Hour 3- 11:00 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.- History- Classroom 224, Main Building_

_Lunch- 11:55 a.m.-1:00 p.m._

_Hour 4- 1 p.m. to 1:55 p.m- Creative Writing- Salinger Lab, Whitman Building_

_Hour 5- 2:00 p.m. to 2:55 p.m.- American Literature- Lecture Room 2, Whitman Building_

_Hour 6- 3:00 p.m. to 3:55 p.m.- Year 9 and 10 Drama- Theatre, Main Building_

_Evening Practice- 4:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m.- Pool_

_Dinner- 6:15 p.m.-7:00 p.m._

_Dryland/Weights-Only on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday- 7:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m.- Gym_

_Free Time/Study Hall- 7:00 p.m./8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m._

_Lights out- 11:00 p.m._

_SATURDAYS ONLY_

_Dryland/Weights- 11:00 a.m.-Noon.- Gym/Weight Room_

_Weekend Practice- 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.- Pool_

Tessa was in awe. That was a lot to do. Every minute, except for 3 hours of her weekdays was scheduled, but it was what she signed up for when she first applied. "It may look like a lot, but most teachers hardly give any homework. You only have to study, and not even everyday at that," said Lightwood.

"It was nice to meet you Tessa," said the coach, "That schedule will start in three days on Monday, so you have a bit of time to get adjusted." He stood, as did Tessa and Nate. Lightwood stretched out his hand and said, "Keep this boy in line for me," he said while pointing at Nate with his other hand while shaking Tessa's.

"The other swimmers are probably waiting in the dining hall. Nate will introduce you to them," he said, "see you on Monday."

"Thank you," said Tessa as Nate guided her towards the door.

Once Nate had closed the door, Tessa said, "He seems rather nice."

Nate responded, "He is, but most of his workouts are Hell in water. You're gonna have fun on Monday, Tessie." Tessa walked down the hall a beside Nate in silence.

"Turn left," Nate said. Tessa did and was greeted with a big blue room with probably four-hundred kids inside of it. Tessa stalled for a bit, so Nate stepped in front of her and strode off. Tessa, not wanting to be left behind, walked fast after him. Being around 5'10" had advantages. It meant long legs and getting a bigger pull on the water, but you were taller than most other people, boys in particular.

She caught up to Nate as he stopped at a table of twenty people talking with another group of about fifteen. Nate must have already told him something, because they weren't talking anymore and were all staring expectantly at Nate. "Everybody, this is my sister, Tessa," he said and then turned to Tessa, "Tessie, these are the swimmers."

Tessa waved shyly while some gave her smiles, some nods, and some didn't even acknowledge her presence. They went back to their own conversations. Nate walked to the table with about fifteen and sat next to a boy with brown hair and green eyes. Tessa sat next to him.

Nate was talking to the boy, he called him Gabriel. Tessa turned to her other side and saw the black-haired and, now she knew, stunningly blue-eyed Will, staring back at her in shock.

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**AUTHOR'S** **NOTE: **If you do read my replies to reviews, you'll know that I was going to save this chapter until tomorrow, originally. The next chapter will probably be on Tuesday now. I have a day off on Thursday and I'm expecting to be half-way to my NaNoWriMo goal by then. This fic will probably end up being longer than 50,000 and will probably take longer than November to write, though. I have another question. Even though this will be a Wessa or Jessa fic, do you still want the triangle aspect or not so much? Please tell me. I'm so excited for Sideon, I have the absolute weirdest arc with that! :D

**THANKS ~** Calliope Ferrer


	6. His Other

**accioswiftgames:** Thanks for your input! :D

**SilverCarstairs: **Ahhhhh, thank you sooo much! Your review have helped me out a ton! They also made me laugh really hard. I really like your ideas and might use some of them(*hint hint*). Seriously lady, you deserve a ton of Jace's special mangoes. :D

**Guest:** That's true. I feel the same way everytime, as well. Thanks for reading!

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**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

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Tessa was paralyzed. She couldn't speak, couldn't move. Will was the first to speak. "Tess, right? That's the name of the girl who came and banged on my door for no reason?" he asked. Tessa couldn't seem to get a word out. Will gave her a knowing look accompanied by a smirk, "Still in awe, huh?"

At this, Tessa got mad and snapped out of her stupor. "Will, quit patronizing the girl," spoke someone on the other side of Will. A boy with the most stunning amber-green eyes peeked out from behind Will. "I'm Magnus Bane," he said, "Sorry about Will. Always seems to be on his period." Tessa couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Hey," piped in Will, "That is only three days a month, the rest I'm just naturally a bitch." Will flipped back his hand, seeming to flip his non-existent hair behind his shoulder, imitating a valley girl or something, Tessa didn't know.

"Just so you know," said Tessa, "my name is Tess-uhh, not Tess."

Will gave her a look, sizing her up. He finally looked up at her face. "I'm still gonna call you Tess," he said with a smile. He turned back to his food.

Magnus spoke to Will, "I swear, Jem needs to start walking with you everywhere to moderate you." Will didn't seem to care what he had said. Just then, a girl that looked about Tessa's age came and sat on Nate's lap. She had this bright blond hair that curled around her collarbones and was wearing a white babydoll dress.

Nate popped a kiss on her nose and she looked at him with brown eyes full of infatuation. Nate, only then, seemed to remember Tessa was sitting right next to him with a rather shocked look on her face. "Tessie," began Nate, "this is my girlfriend, Jessamine."

Tessa was shocked. She never thought her brother might get a girlfriend. He wasn't ugly, but rather lazy and daft. This girl must be kind of shallow. Jessamine flipped her hair off both of her shoulders and gave someone behind Tessa a scowl. Tessa turned her head and noticed Will imitating her. Tessa almost cracked a smile.

Jessamine turned her attention back to Tessa as Tessa turned her own back to Jessamine. "How do you do?" Jessamine reached a hand to Tessa, "My name is Jessamine Lovelace, but everyone calls me Jessie. Theresa, right?"

This girl must like to gab a bit, thought Tessa. Tessa responded, rather flustered, to the girl. "Yeah, but everyone calls me Tessa."

Jessamine turned to Nate, "We're going to be late," she hissed. Nate nodded and stood up as Jessamine hopped off his lap.

He leaned over to Tessa and said, "I'll meet you at your room tomorrow morning for breakfast," he said, "Be ready by 9." He then turned and left with Jessie at his side. Tessa turned, then, to Magnus.

"Magnus," she said, "where do we get food?" she inquired kind of shyly.

"Over there, dear," he said while pointing to a corner. Will seemed to notice nothing but his food. Tessa got up from her seat and walked to the corner that Magnus had pointed at. There was a lot over there; everything from salads to sandwiches, to burgers and fish sticks. She opted for a Ceasar salad and an apple.

She returned to the seat she was at before. Will had left, as had many of the other swimmers. Magnus seemed to be focusing on some foreign-language textbook. Tessa ate in silence alone.

Will retreated to his room once he had finished his dinner. Cecily lay on the bed, still sleeping. Tessa made him nervous, he didn't know why. Her eager gray-blue eyes made him think about things that he probably shouldn't.

Will strode to his desk and picked up _The Fault in our Stars_. He hadn't started to read it, but he would tonight. He clicked the lamp on, afraid to wake Cecily if he turned on all the lights or opened the blinds. He read for maybe two hours, when he succumbed to the sleep pulling at his eyes and lay there in the desk chair.

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Tessa went to her room after the dinner, bidding goodbye to Magnus only. Currently, she was looking out her window. London was absolutely beautiful at night. She could see the Thames from the window. It was gorgeous, but it made her homesick. She didn't have many friends back home. The only person she missed was her Aunt Harriet. She pulled out her phone and texted her aunt.

_Harriet- Everything's fine. Nate has been showing me around. I'll be okay here. -Tessa_

She put the phone on top of the books covering her desk. She checked her suitcases to make sure she had unpacked everything. The only things left were her alarm clock, laptop, and her bed sheets. She laid the clock on her nightstand and put the laptop on top of the desk. She pulled the sheets out and made her bed.

It was only 9 p.m., but she was beyond tired. This wasn't unusual for Tessa, even on a Friday night. She slipped off her clothes and put a t-shirt on. Tessa laid on the bed and hoped that tomorrow would be a better day before flicking the lamp off and burrowing under the comforter.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I already have the next three chapters ready! I'll probably be posting one/two times a day for a bit. I hope you don't mind me spamming your email with new chapters! Next chapter will be up tomorrow morning. The Wessa/Jessa war is still going on. Tell me in the reviews. (semi/not to big)SPOILER: Jem shows up in the next chapter! :D See you tomorrow.

**THANKS ~**Calliope Ferrer


	7. His Music

**SilverCarstairs: **Already hot boys+they read John Green= ahhhhhhh perfection

**PersephoneDreams: **Thanks :D

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**DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT CASSANDRA CLARE, YOU GUYS**

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Tessa lay in her bed for hours. Sleep couldn't seem to find her. She heard a beautiful melody coming from another room, but it wasn't Will's. Maybe the other side? Tessa limbered out of the bed. She slipped on a pair of gym shorts from her closet and exited her room.

The music did, in fact, seem to be coming from the other room next door. Who would be up this late playing it though? She knocked on the door to the right of hers, 310. Suddenly, the music stopped and she heard footsteps coming towards her.

A boy with shining, silver hair opened the door. He was in his pajamas and holding a violin. He smiled when he saw her. Tessa was surprised; if someone knocked on her door this late, she certainly wouldn't be smiling at them. "Hello," he said, "you must be the new girl?"

Tessa said, "Yes, I am. My name is Tessa Gray."

"Well then, Tessa," he said, "My name is James Carstairs, but everyone calls me Jem. Would you like to come in? I can understand if you don't, though."

"So, you're Jem? Magnus said you were missing at dinner and that Will needed you to be with him to keep him in line," said Tessa

Jem chuckled at this. "Yes, Will can have a mouth, sometimes, but he's really not all that bad."

Tessa found this hard to believe, from what she had experienced with Will. Tessa stepped in the room. Jem sat down on his bed and seemed to gesture Tessa to his desk chair. Tessa took the spot in the chair.

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Will heard Jem's violin in his room. Jem really shouldn't play it that loud, he thought, especially this late at night. He put the book that was on his chest onto the desk and got out of the chair. Cecily was gone; she had probably gone back to her room. Will went the two doors down to Jem's and flung open the door. Jem stopped playing and said, "Will, where have you been?"

"Sleeping," he said, "have you met the girl next door, yet?"

"I actually have," said Jem, "she seems wonderful. Rather curious."

Will began, "I don't kn-." Suddenly, Jem was on his knees in a coughing fit. "Where did you leave it?" said Will.

"On the desk," rasped Jem in between breaths and coughs. Will got the medicine and handed it over to Jem.

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Tessa awoke at 7:30. Jem seemed awful nice. They had talked for awhile before Tessa had, once again, retired to bed. The sun was streaming brightly through the window. She walked to the mirror by the door and looked at her reflection. Her makeup was smeared and her ponytail was messy.

She thought that she should take a shower, but she didn't know where the bathrooms were. Sophie would know, Tessa thought, but she might not be up right now. Tessa grabbed her robe, soap, shampoo, and a couple of towels. She set them on her bed while she stripped from her clothes.

She slipped the robe on and tied it, as tight as she could. Didn't need anything else for Will to hold over her, she thought. Tessa grabbed her things and went out the door, stopping before completely coming out to check the hallway. No one was around.

Tessa took her things the opposite way of the stairs, to the end of the hall. Lo and behold, there was the bathroom. Tessa went into the women's room and brought her things into the shower. Someone else was in there, showering. This would be different; she had always had her own bathroom.

Tessa peeled off her robe, turned on the shower, and basked in the cold water.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Next chapter, we have Cecily, and some more Will, and some more Jem, and some more Sophie. What do you guys think so far? We are finally finished with the first 24 hours of the story(in 7 chapters... FINALLY!) Tell me what you guys think. This story will be Jillessa for at least a little bit longer.

**THANKS ~**Calliope Ferrer


	8. His Sister

**SilverCarstairs: **Thanks! I'm really trying to improve upon my writing! :D

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**DISCLAIMER: LAST TIME I CHECKED, MY NAME IS NOT CASSANDRA CLARE**

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Cecily Herondale wasn't one for getting up this early, especially on a Saturday morning. She was in the shower by 7:15 which was too early for her. In this shower, she heard someone walk in and turn on another shower. What other crazy person would be up this early?

Cecily had gone back to her room after waking up late in her brother's room. Will mumbled such strange things in his sleep. She recognized a few names, but, other than that, she had no idea what he was saying.

Cecily shut the water off and dried off with her towels. She heard the other shower shut off. One towel on her head, she put her robe on and got out of the shower. She stepped towards the sink to brush her teeth as the other girl stepped out of her shower.

She was very tall and had brown hair that hung, weighed down by water, to her waist. Then, when she looked up at Cecily, she saw her pale blue eyes. "Hello there," said the girl, "What's your name?" Cecily wasn't one to be shy, but she was having trouble remembering her name.

"My name is Cecily Herondale," she said, "And yours?"

When she heard her reply, Cecily froze. "Mine is Tessa Gray," said the girl, Tessa. That was the name her brother had been saying in his sleep.

* * *

Tessa didn't know what to think when she heard the girl's last name, but she was expecting it, somewhat. They had the same jet black hair and violet-blue eyes. Tessa didn't say anything for the rest of her time in the bathroom; it eventually became quite awkward.

Tessa gathered her things and ventured back to her room. She put a ruffled, pale grey purple tank top on with a pair of white jeans. She checked the clock on her nightstand, _8:20 a.m. _it read. Still forty minutes to go. She picked up _The Kite Runner _off her desk and began to read.

Tessa had spaced off into the world of the book. The next time she checked the clock, it said _8:55 a.m. _Tessa left the book on her bed and walked out. She eventually arrived at her brother's room and knocked. On the other side, it wasn't Nate who answered.

Jessamine opened the door. Almost beginning to say something, Nate stepped out from behind Jessie and said, "Ready to go, Tessie, huh?"

Tessa replied with a faint nod. Nate and Jessamine stepped out of the room and into the corridor.

* * *

This time, Tessa found her own way to the dining hall with Nate and Jessie, holding hands, trailing behind. She went to the food line and got some eggs, bacon, toast, and milk. For some reason, after being wet and drying on it's own, her hair seemed to become frizzy and unruly.

Tessa sat where she did last night. Hardly anybody else occupied the two tables; most had probably already eaten or had yet to eat. Nate and Jessie sat across from her, engrossed in their own conversation. Tessa didn't know how much longer she could go without anyone to talk to besides Nate. He always seemed so engrossed in Jessamine.

Then the table seemed to be ambushed. About ten kids, most whom Tessa didn't know the name of, carrying various breakfast foods. A silver-haired boy, Jem, sat next to Tessa. On the other side of her sat Will and who she presumed to be Cecily.

Sophie sat on Jem's other side and the boy, Gabriel she thought, sat next to her brother. Jem turned to Tessa, "Good morning, Tessa," he said, "I assume you've met Sophie and Cecily."

"Yes, I actually have," she said.

Will turned to Jem and said, "Have you gotten the rest of tonight planned yet?"

"What's tonight?" Tessa interrupted.

"That's for us to know and you to find out," said Will, wiggling his eyebrows at Tessa. On the other side, Cecily rolled her eyes. "Will, stop being so dramatic," she said with a scoff and a smile.

"Gideon says it better not end as bad as it did last year," chimed in Sophie, "I really don't feel like doing the 3x800 IM that Coach made us do when he found out, either."

"What happened?" inquired Tessa.

Sophie flicked her hand, seeming to brush off the subject, "We aren't even allowed to talk about it," she said glumly. Tessa didn't ask anymore; it was obviously off limits.

"So, who's room is it in?" asked Jem.

"Arabelle's," responded Will.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Heyyy! What do you guys think so far? I'm really trying to put more of the other characters in there. I think I'll be taking a day off from posting tomorrow and Wednesday. I'd like to finish the outline and start _Champion, _so that's what I'll be doing. I promise a new chapter on Thursday. I have some pretty wicked stuff planned guys...

**THANKS ~**Calliope Ferrer


	9. Her Friend

**SilverCarstairs: **Thanks so much! This one is a little longer, though.

**Grace: **Thanks!

**bow down to me peasants: **Yeah, that book gave me serious emotional problems. :P HE TOUCHED THE BUTT! Thanks for your review!

**Misskelly:** Thanks!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: DO I REALLY NEED TO DO THIS EVERY TIME, GUYS?**

* * *

Tessa ate her breakfast in silence. That was, until, Jessamine hissed "Tessa," sounding rather annoyed.

"Wai- What?" said Tessa, awfully confused. Jessamine rolled her eyes and released a sigh from her lungs.

"Shopping. You and me, London? What do you say? I could show you around," said Jessamine.

"I think that'd be a great idea," piped Nate giving Tessa a smile and then flashing it to Jessamine which seemed to go unnoticed by Jessie.

"Ooo, can I come?" asked Cecily jumping out of her seat with excitement. Will's milk went flying onto his shirt and face, but this didn't faze Cecily. "We can go to Topshop, H&M, and, aaahhh," Cecily screeched. "We can get our hair done!"

"I guess," Jessamine with a doubtful face.

Cecily looked over at Sophie with a smile. "You should come too, Sophie!" she said.

"I don't know," said Sophie looking at her breakfast.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" cried Cecily. Sophie still didn't look too pleased.

"Oh Alright, as long as we're back before five. I have to help set up Arabelle's room," Sophie said while rolling her eyes.

* * *

After breakfast, Tessa needed to grab her bag and some money. Cecily came with followed after. "Can I come in?" she asked.

"Sure," said Tessa, "as long as you don't plant any drugs anywhere." Cecily snorted at this. Suddenly, Cecily's eyes went wide. Tessa followed her line of vision to her desk with all the books on top of it.

"_Cach_!" exclaimed Cecily.

Tessa looked at her with eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What language was that and what in the world were you saying?"

"It's Welsh," replied Cecily, "and that word is a naughty word that my brother would scold me for saying. Let's leave it at that."

Tessa walked to the closet to get her bag and some money. "Where'd you learn to speak Welsh?" inquired Tessa.

"Will and I learned it when we were younger. We grew up near Cadair Idris in Wales. Kind of ironic that we go to school called _Idris_, huh?" Cecily said.

Tessa nodded her head and put the money in her bag. "Ready to go?" said Tessa making her way out the door. Cecily followed after and Tessa closed the door.

* * *

The girls walked back through the dorm doors at 4:30. Tessa had enjoyed the shopping. She got a new black leather jacket. She also got a new pair of white shorts that were somewhat high-waisted. She even got a haircut!

"Do you guys want to go for a swim?" asked Cecily, breaking the silence. Tessa hadn't swam since Wednesday. She needed desperately to get back into the water. The chlorine smell that always seemed to be wafting off of her body was seeming to disappear, which was a bad sign.

"Sure, I'll go," said Tessa.

"Well, I obviously can't," said Sophie, "Speaking of which, I should probably go anyways. See you tonight!" Sophie walked gracefully to the stairs and went up them, disappearing after the sixth step.

"I don't really want to go. I'm kind of tired," Jessamine responded. The way Jessamine wrinkled her nose and contorted her mouth into an almost look-of-disgust frown made Tessa think that she was kind of whiny.

"Alright then," Cecily said, "Ready to go Tessa?" Tessa nodded and followed Cecily up the stairs.

* * *

Cecily told her to meet at room 417, which Tessa presumed to be her room. Tessa swung open the door to her own room first and walked quickly to the closet. She searched for a bit before she found her favorite suit. It was A blueish-green Speedo racerback with blue straps. She stripped from her clothes and pulled it on. She had to adjust it so that the tag wouldn't stick out the side like it had many times before.

Tessa pulled on a gray sweatshirt with _University of Iowa Swimming & Diving _in gold lettering across the top. She grabbed a towel and flung it onto the bed and brought out the flip-flops that sat on the floor of the closet and slipped them onto her feet. She grabbed the towel once again and strode out the door.

Will was just coming out of his room with Jem by his side. Jem noticed Tessa first. "Hi, Tessa. Was shopping fun?"

When Jem said her name, Will glanced in her direction. "Yes, it was. Thanks, Jem." Jem smiled his pleasant smile and began to walk by her with Will.

"_Tonight,_" whispered Will looking like Haley Joel Osment in _The Sixth Sense. _This earned him a smack from Jem as he chuckled. Will waved goodbye to Tessa and Jem smiled at her as they walked towards the stairs.

Tessa walked to the room number Cecily gave her and knocked on the door. "Just a second," shouted someone inside, presumably Cecily. Cecily stepped out of the room a moment later with a dark blue suit on. "Ready?" said Cecily. Tessa affirmed and they walked towards the stairs.

A moment passed and Tessa broke the silence sitting between her and Cecily. "So you're from Wales. What do your parents do?"

"Hmm, my dad's a businessman, travels a lot, and my mother is a homemaker," said Cecily. Tessa was burning with more questions to ask.

"What company does your father work for?" said Tessa as they reached the bottom floor.

"He owns his own. It runs out of London, primarily. That's why he's gone so much. He works with stocks and all that," said Cecily waving her hand in a no-big-deal gesture. They arrived at the pool and went inside. There were a few people there. Gideon and Gabriel seemed to just be finishing a workout.

They stalked out of the pool soaking wet. Cecily seemed to blush a bit before, but once she saw that they were wearing speedos, Tessa saw her cheeks go from slightly pink to a more rosy color. _That's rather strange, _thought Tessa, _you'd think she had seen a boy in a speedo before. _

Gabriel seemed to notice them before Gideon did. Gabriel waved at them and cupped his hands over his mouth. "The water's freezing," he yelled, "have fun." He smiled at them and Cecily's cheeks went even darker.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Sorry for the super late update! I got really busy last week with my own swim practices and Finals, but they're over now. On top of all that, my internet was whacked up until this morning. What did you guys think? A note on the Welsh swearing: I'm not really sure if that's how you spell it, but I've heard my great-grandma say it that way too many times. I'm almost positive it means shit. My family is Welsh and I even have a sister named Cecily :) . Before I get any questions about this, yes, I am from Iowa City and yes, I do have an Iowa Hawkeye fetish, so if that offends anybody GTFO! (Not really, I love you anyway :P ) Expect the next update around Thursday or Friday! Don't forget to R&R guys!

**THANKS ~**Calliope


	10. The Room

**welivebreathewords: **Thanks for your review! I'm not planning on quitting anytime soon! :D

**bow down to me peasants: **Thanks for checking that for me. I'll edit it soon.

**SilverCarstairs: **Ha I'm glad you liked it! :D

**Guest: **Okay, thanks for your input!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: YOU KNOW THE DRILL.**

* * *

Tessa got out of the pool after Cecily. Cecily's cheeks were still bright pink. From the workout or Gabriel, she wasn't really sure. "So Gabriel, hmm?" said Tessa looking at Cecily with both of her brown eyebrows raised.

Cecily's cheeks went cherry. "Umm, no." she said with a nervous look. Tessa stood akimbo and gave her another look. "Okay, maybe." Tessa started laughing; she couldn't take being serious right now.

"So what do you specialize in?" Tessa asked Cecily as they walked out the pool door.

"Maths, and assuming by all the books on your desk, you're majoring in English," said Cecily.

"Gee, how would you have guessed that?" Tessa retorted rhetorically, stepping on the first step.

"The only person I know who has that many books is my brother," replied Cecily, obviously not catching Tessa's tone.

Tessa gave her an incredulous stare, "Will likes reading? I would've never guessed!"

"Yup, it's true. My brother's a book nerd. He likes a lot of old books and poetry and can quote just about all of them."

"How old are you? You look a little younger than 14," said Tessa. She really couldn't help saying it. It was out of her mouth before she had had a chance to think about it.

Cecily's cheeks went pink again as she said, "That's because I am. I'm only 13. I skipped the third grade." They reached Tessa's door and came to a stop. Tessa opened her door and stopped Cecily.

"Do you know what's going on tonight?" asked Tessa.

"It's some kind of party the swim team has at the beginning of every year. Will has never really told me much about it. It's supposed to be a secret to the Freshmen and everyone who's not on the swim team," replied Cecily. "Speaking of the party, I should probably go and get ready. It's probably time to go to dinner anyways. I'll see you later?"

"Sure. See you tonight," replied Tessa, closing the door.

* * *

Tessa hadn't ended up going to dinner. She had ended up in her bed by 7:00 reading _The Kite Runner. _It was just short of 10 p.m. when she heard a knock on the door.

Tessa clambered off of her bed leaving the book there and opened the door. On the floor in front of her was Will. "Good evening, Tess," he said leaning against the doorframe. His face had a smirk on it and he was wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"What is this?" said Tessa with one eyebrow cocked in the air. It came out more annoyed sounding than she had intended.

"Why, Tess, funny you should ask," he was interrupted by a snort from Tessa.

"What's not to ask about? It's almost 10:00!" she said.

"Well, as I was saying, I am your escort to Arabelle's room. Get changed and let's go," said Will.

"What am I supposed to wear? Shouldn't this be fine?" interrogated Tessa.

"Sure, but I thought that was your sleep clothes," said Will.

Tessa couldn't help but snort. "Okay, I'll get changed wait out here."

"Oh, I thought I could come in, but whatever," said Will with a shrug as Tessa closed the door.

Will waited outside until Tessa came out a few minutes later. Now she was wearing a blue sweater with some gray jeans and her hair was in a ponytail. She wasn't wearing any shoes, though, only a pair of white socks. "Ready to go now?" asked Will.

"I think so," said Tessa shrugging. Tessa began to walk away from him and towards the stairs.

"Tess," said Will as she turned around, "wait a second. You have to put a blindfold on." He pulled a red blindfold out of his back pocket just then. "Do you want to put it on or do you want me to?"

"I can do it," said Tessa as she snatched the blindfold from his hands. She tried to tie it but she couldn't do it. After struggling for a bit, Will grabbed the blindfold with a sigh. He touched her hands while grabbing it. She shivered under his hands."There. All set," said Will while pulling his hands away. He one arm around her waist. He liked this. It gave him a chance to talk to her and touch her (in a non-creepy non-rapey way).

"Stairs," he whispered in her ear as his foot fell on the first one. They slowly made their way up a couple of stairwells. The floor was silent, as Will expected it to be. He led Tessa a little farther down the hallway and stopped in front of Arabelle's room. He opened the door slowly and led Tessa inside.

He only had to bend down about three inches to bring his mouth near her ear, which was unusual to Will. "Turn around," he said as he closed the door. Tessa was facing the door as he started to undo the blindfold. "Have fun, Tess," he whispered. He slipped into the back of the crowd gathered in the room.

* * *

Tessa turned around as soon as Will had stopped whispering only to see no one there. It was dark in the room and she could hardly see a thing. Just then, there was a flicker from opposite sides of the room. They looked like a candle flame from here. The candles lit up two at a time until Tessa could see it was a fully completed circle.

A figure appeared in the very center of the circle. "Initiates," boomed a voice. It was obviously male, but Tessa couldn't immediately recognize it from memory. "Welcome to the Initiation party. All ten of you should take a seat behind one of the candles."

Tessa did as she was told. The candles were casting shadows on the faces of nine other people. Just then, someone turned on one of those multi-colored disco balls. It sat in the middle of the circle and shone light on a big crowd gathered in the back of the room.

"Initiates, meet your sponsors," said the voice who she now could see was Gideon. A few people stepped out of the crowd. Cecily turned around to see that her sponsor was Jem. Tessa saw that she smiled at him and then started to make a little bit of small talk. Then she could feel someone's presence behind her. She turned around and, of course, out of all the people she could've gotten, she got Will.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Hey y'all! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please R&R! I don't think I will update tomorrow because I'm going to a Rob Zombie/Korn concert tomorrow night (YUUUUSSS!), but I will try and shoot for Thursday or Friday depending on how it goes. I'm 70% done with my goal, guys! LET'S KEEP GOING! Thanks for Reading! :D

**THANKS ~**Calliope


	11. Her Initiation

**accioswiftgames: **Yeah, it's a little too scary I think. Here it is!

**bow down to me peasants: **After the next chapter, depending on how you score it, it will be:

**Wessa: 1**

**Jessa:** **2**

**SilverCarstairs: **Thanks so much! This one's a bit shorter, but I hope you still enjoy it!

**Guest: ****_I'M BOLDING THIS BECAUSE EVERYONE SHOULD READ_**** IT!** Tessa is 14; Cecily 13; Will, Jem, and Jessie are 15; Nate is 16; Sophie is 17.

**Personorwhatever: **Sorry, I can't promise that! :) Thanks for your review!

**frytjeeeh: **Thanks so much!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT CASSIE CLARE!**

* * *

"Will?" said Tessa in a startled voice. Will didn't seem to notice. He just kept looking at Gideon over Tessa's head. Tessa decided to say it again. "Will," she said, this time sounding more like a hiss. Will finally bent his head a bit to look at her.

"What Tess?" he hissed in a hushed voice.

"What is this?" said Tessa.

"Why, it's your initiation. Didn't you listen to Gideon? My god, Tess. You've got to be more patient," said Will while shaking his head and making a _tsk _noise with his tongue and teeth. He then bared his teeth in a grin to her.

This frustrated Tessa more than anything. Choosing not to pick a fight, she turned around back towards Gideon as he started to speak again. "Initiates," he said, "Let's get started."

Gideon put a glass bottle into the middle of the circle and said, "For this game, I will spin the bottle. If it lands on you, you take one of the dares that the Year Twelves have written and you do it," a girl with red hair that stood next to Gideon jiggled a jar around in her hand. "Failure to do the dare will… Well, let's not talk about that. Just complete the dare. Any questions?" No one raised their hand.

"Alright then," said Gideon, "let's spin the bottle." He reached for the bottle and twisted his hand. The bottle was spinning for about five seconds before it came to a stop on a boy with dirty blond hair and harry potter-esque glasses. "Marcus Ralston," said Gideon.

The boy stood up and walked to the middle of the circle as the girl with the jar came forward as well. She unscrewed the lid and held it out to the boy, a little higher than his eyebrows. He reached in and retrieved a small slip of white paper.

He took it in both hands and unfolded it. "Read it off," said Gideon in a hushed voice to the boy.

The boy read off his dare. "Drink one cup of lemon juice, half a cup of milk, and a tablespoon of baking soda mixed all together," said the boy. He didn't seem to be scared. A girl stepped from the crowd, Tessa assumed that she must have written the dare, and handed Marcus a red party cup.

He took it in his hands and it spilled foam out the top. He pulled it towards his face and proceeded to drink it. He kept on drinking even though you could clearly see the disgust on his face. He finished and his mentor, a boy that looked to be about fifteen, brought him back to his candle where Marcus clutched at his stomach.

Gideon said, "Good job, Marcus. Welcome to the team," but he didn't seem to notice Gideon was talking at all. Gideon reached to the bottle and spun it again. It progressively slowed and came to a stop at Tessa. "Theresa Gray," said Gideon.

The girl unscrewed the lid again and looked towards Tessa. Will stood up and reached out a hand to her. Tessa silently took his hand and was pulled up by him. He looked at her and nodded his head. Then, Tessa walked towards the girl with the red hair.

She reached into the jar and pulled out a slip of paper. Tessa read it in her head before saying it out loud. "By spinning the bottle, play seven minutes in heaven with one of the sponsors," read Tessa. Now she was scared.

"Alright, then. Tessa, would you rather spin the bottle or I do it for you?" said Gideon.

Tessa could hardly bare to speak. "I'll do it," she said. Tessa reached down and flipped the bottle end over end while it's side was still on the floor. It slowly came to a stop and she never would have thought that she could have been more relieved and nervous at the same time as when she saw who it landed on.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Catching fire, though? Sorry for the short chapter guys! I am currently puking my brains out with some kind of temperature so the next chapter will be longer. I am sooooo sorry for the cliffhanger, but I couldn't find a better place to end it :D

**THANKS ~**Calliope


	12. Those Seven Minutes

**SilverCarstairs: **WHY WOULD SHE BE RELIEVED IF IT LANDED ON NATE? I don't know. Making out with your brother is a little to Sebas and Clary for my taste. That would be a hella plot twist! Lmao

**I Love Will Herondale: **Sorry I'm upping the score to Jem: 3 and Will: 1. Oops! :3

**frytjeeeh: **Thanks, but I'm keeping it strictly Jillessa for now. Sorry if you're disappointed!

**Misskelly: **We'll see, I guess... :3

**rjacobs: **I'm glad! Hope you're just as excited for this one!

**bow down to me peasants: **IKR?! I loved the ending soooo much! Katniss' face was amazing, Francis captured it so well.

**claire: **Thanks. You'll find out...

**Guest: **Jem: 3 Will: 1

**Personorwhatever: **Sorry, but I do have a reason for my absence which will be down in the author's note.

**Guest: **Don't worry. I know exactly what you mean. I felt the same way for a while after reading the books. Thanks for reading!

**Guest: **I'm assuming this is Wessa's score, hmmm? :)

**Guest: **I'm kind of having an inner battle with my brain on whether or not I should give out spoilers or not, but nope, sorry. Ain't happening. Thanks for reading!

**Guest: **Contradicting, a bit? Thanks for your review!

**Percabethlvrknowsall: **Ok then...

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I'M PRETTY SURE WE'VE ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT I'M NOT CASSIE...**

* * *

Jem gave Tessa a sincere smile when he saw who the bottle pointing at him. It wasn't a smirk like Will's, but a kind, encouraging, and genuine smile on his face. Tessa was frozen to her where she was standing. Jem took hold of Tessa's hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles as a reassuring gesture. A very short, blonde girl held open the door to Arabelle's closet.

* * *

"Your sevren finutes is carting now," Tessa heard Gideon say. She couldn't hear him very well from inside the closet. The closet wasn't very big and was completely dark except the door was bringing light into the closet from the very edges of the door. The light barely made Jem's silver hair visible.

She grasped onto the clockwork angel hanging around her neck. Of course Jem wouldn't make her do anything that she wouldn't want to. Tessa then realized her grip was getting progressively tighter on his hand, nearly to the point of a death grip. She released her hand a bit, but Jem squeezed her hand again for only a second.

Jem slid down the wall and to the floor, letting go of her hand. Tessa followed right after and sat next to him on the floor, her right knee touching his left. "So," began Jem, "this is rather awkward."

Tessa didn't say anything, she just nodded. Jem looked at her with compassion and said, "You do know we don't have to do anything, right?"

"Yeah, I know," said Tessa looking down at her knees.

"I don't know why the upperclassmen think that these dares are so funny. They really aren't. They're all kind of embarrassing, you wouldn't believe what I had to do last year," said Jem.

Tessa, know looking up at Jem with one eyebrow cocked higher up on her face than the other one, asked, "What exactly did you have to do, Carstairs?"

"I had to flip off a five meter platform onto pavement," said Jem with a smile starting to break across his face, "I screwed up my wrist, but two days later I had to go practice because I couldn't tell Coach about it for the reason that it involved leaving the dorm after 10 o'clock." Jem started to crack up with a chuckle. "It hurt like heck for weeks after that. It was horrible; the worst way to start Year 9 ever."

Tessa couldn't help but laugh out loud. With her luck there were probably a few people listening in to the closet that would probably think that they were doing something other than just talking, but she didn't really care right now. "That would be pretty horrible," she stuttered out between laughs, gasping for breath. "You're lucky you didn't crack your head open!"

"I didn't even have the worst dare," said Jem, "that honor went to Will. His dare was horrible and everybody watched it to make sure he did it, too. Your brother had a pretty bad dare a few years ago, as well. His is the stuff of legend."

Tessa made note in her mind to ask Jem about this later. Tessa asked with a small snort, "What could be worse that hurting your wrist for weeks on the first weekend of school?"

"No, there is worse," he said as he smiled at his knees, "Will had to break into the pool and skinny dip. Nothing was supposed to go wrong until Lightwood walked into the pool and got pretty angry with Will," said Jem. "Of course Will is a bit sassy, so he talked back and got himself suspended from the first two meets and had to put in an extra hour in the water for three weeks after that stint. It did get him respect from most of the older kids."

"Well, it kind of serves him right. He is a jerk sometimes," said Tessa. "I really don't think he likes me very much. I can't blame him much though, I didn't make a very good first impression."

Jem looked at her with a concerned face and took Tessa's hand again, "You really can't blame yourself, Tessa. Will is a jerk sometimes, it's in his nature," said Jem. "And Will certainly doesn't hate you. After all, he chose to sponsor you."

Tessa was shocked. Her eyes wide and mouth agape she said, "He chose me? But why would he choose me? He doesn't like me at all!"

"He likes you, Tessa. I think he likes the way you manage him. Well, he probably doesn't like it, but he certainly has respect for it," said Jem. "You were actually my first choice, but Will got to choose first,so…"

Tessa was silent with unbelief. "Even if Will is mean to you, he's mean to everyone at one time or another, Tessa. You're obviously very smart and witty to match Will, you're so kind and patient, and," his eyes scanned across her face, "ni hen piao liang.

Tessa's eyebrows furrowed, "What does that mean?"

"Your hair's coming undone," said Jem. He tucked a strand that had come out of her ponytail back behind her ear. His hand lingered on the side of her neck. His hand eventually cupped her neck.

He leaned in a bit as did Tessa. Her eyes darted closed and, before she knew it, his lips were on hers. His lips were soft at first. He then brought his fingers up her neck and into her hair, dishevelling her ponytail and making her hair fall down and over her shoulders and collarbone. The kiss deepened as Tessa wrapped her biceps around Jem's neck. Tessa's heart was hammering in her chest. She was afraid Jem would hear.

A knock came on the door and they broke apart quickly. "Thirty seconds to put yourselves together," said Gideon. Tessa could imagine him saying this with a grin.

Jem smiled at her and brought his band back to her neck. "You're beautiful, Tessa."

This caught Tessa off guard. Tessa's eyes were wide as she inquired in astonishment, "Wait, what?"

"You're beautiful Tessa. I sincerely mean that," said Jem. Jem clambered to his feet and offered a hand to Tessa. This time, Tessa's lips were on his first.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a few angry PMs from a few Wessa shippers after this chapter, but don't worry, it is Jillessa for right now. Gaaahhhh, I feel like such a horrible person right now. I left you guys for two weeks with a cliffy, but I am proud to announce that, as of 8:53 p.m. CST last Saturday, I reached my goal of 50,000 words! VIRTUAL MANGOES TO YOU ALL! Thanks so much for whatever you have done to contribute to this story be it reviewing, following, favoriting, or even just visiting! HELLA THANKS! I enjoy writing this story so much, and to make up for my absence, I have two more post queued for this week. I'll probably see y'all on Wednesday. Until, then THANKS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!

**THANKS ~**Calliope


	13. The Cough

**perseuseaton816: **Maybe... :3

**SilverCarstairs: **Yeah, sorry. This one is another late one.

**bow down to me peasants: **Sorry. :) Thanks for reviewing!

**Guest: **No, sorry. I think it's going to be Jillessa because I love Wessa and Jessa equally and I want some Jessa moments but Will is supermegaawesomefoxyhot

**Daija: **Thanks, they might. :3

**Personorwhatever: **Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying most of it!

**Emily: **Well, then. There will be some Wessa in a few chapters :)

**Guest: **Here it is. Super late, though. Sorry.

**I am a fangirl forever: **There will be some Jessa and Wessa in this fic, so stay tuned.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME, I AM NOT CASSANDRA CLARE!**

* * *

Will couldn't help but hide the glare on his face. He wasn't at all pleased about this dare, even less so with who it was with. Jem had mentioned Tessa before, but very sparsely. Against his better judgement, Will had hoped that it would land on him. He should've been happy it landed on Jem and not on him.

That seven minutes would've been torture if the bottle had landed on him. Awkward silence for seven minutes with a girl he had been a total arse to. Jem deserved it more than he did. He loved Jem more than his own soul, but, still, he couldn't stop the voice inside his head.

* * *

Tessa and Jem returned to the party with a couple of cat calls. Hoots and wolf-whistles aplenty as they stepped out of the closet. Jem returned to his seat behind Cecily as Cecily gave him a somewhat impressed face. Tessa sat in front of Will once again. He didn't turn, he didn't give her a look, it didn't even seem like he knew that Jem and she had returned.

They got through the rest of the dares. One kid had to sit in the cafeteria freezer for an hour and Cecily had to wear roller blades for the rest of the night.

Tessa was enjoying herself, that is until all the dares were done. That's when all the alcohol came out from inside the dresser and out from underneath the bed and mattress. Gideon poured about ten shots and laid them on the nightstand next to the bed in the corner of the room. A few of the new kids, like Tessa, grabbed one, threw their heads back, and gulped the liquid down.

Cecily grabbed Tessa's arm and pulled her to the nightstand. Tessa wasn't the type to get drunk. Besides a few sips when Harriet drank wine, Tessa had never had it before. There's a first time for everything, though. Cecily grabbed two and put one in Tessa's hand. The other one remained in her hand. Cecily shouted "To the Shadowhunters!" and held her shot in the air. Almost everyone in the room, it seemed like, screamed back "TO THE SHADOWHUNTERS!" Cecily downed her shot and sent a "WOOOOOOOH!" out of her mouth.

Perhaps Tessa should keep an eye on her tonight. At only thirteen, she seemed like quite the partier. Cecily started to move towards the crowd. Tessa gulped her shot and couldn't believe the taste. What was so appealing about this? Why the hell did her brother drink so much? More importantly, how?

Tessa coughed and gasped. Her throat was on fire, it seemed, but she couldn't lose Cecily. Tessa didn't want her doing anything that she might regret later.

* * *

Tessa did a little dancing, watched her brother drink too many drinks, and didn't talk to much anyone but Cecily. Cecily was currently trying to get on Arabelle's bed but was failing due to probably the combination of the rollerskates she couldn't take off and the many drinks she had consumed. Then, of course, Cecily went tumbling off the bed.

Tessa rushed to Cecily's side to make sure she was okay, but she seemed to be sleeping. Tessa started shaking her shoulder when Jem appeared behind her.

"Dang," said Jem, "getting too drunk to stand must be what the Herondales do." Jem roused Cecily and helped her stand up. One arm was under her armpits and around her back. "Will is passed out over there on the floor and I can't exactly carry him by myself and we should probably get Cec back to her room. I'll take her it's just down the hall."

"Alright. Where is Will?" asked Tessa in an exasperated voice. Jem pointed to a corner to Tessa's left.

Tessa walked to him and tried to wake him up, but even hitting him across the face with a pan probably wouldn't wake Will up at this moment. Jem returned soon after.

"Cecily's in her bed," said Jem, "I did have to dig in some places I wouldn't like to dig in again to find her keys, though."

Tessa let out a chuckle. "I'll grab his right and you grab his left," said Tessa. After a few minutes and Tessa almost falling over, they had one of Will's arms slung over each of their backs. They dragged him out of the room while being pushed by random party-goers.

They made their way towards the staircase, leaving the commotion of the party behind but still within earshot. Tessa was seriously worried about how they would get Will down the stairs. "Jem," hissed Tessa, "how in the world will we get him down the stairs?"

Jem shrugged but said, "Maybe I'll hold his torso and you hold his legs and we'll carry him sideways."

Tessa shrugged in agreement and bent down to hold his legs. "1, 2, 3," counted Tessa. With that, Jem lifted his torso and Tessa his legs. As they were descending the stairs, Jem bumped Will's head on the railing and gave Tessa kind of mischievous grin. She could've sworn she saw Will stir the slightest bit.

* * *

Cecily wasn't with the party anymore. That was the first thing she noticed besides the fact that the rollerskates were still on her feet. She had the worst headache. It was like a construction site inside of her head.

She might as well get her pajamas on. Cecily stripped from her clothes that reeked of alcohol. She would have to do laundry now before she went home over break. Wonderful. She threw the skates toward the closet. Who's were those anyways? After stripping from her clothes and changing into her pajamas, she walked to close the window.

Across the street, there were about four figures in a semi-circle in an alley. No one ever went back there, but maybe she was just seeing things. She didn't know what she had taken at that party. After shutting the lights off, she jumped into bed and fell into a sound sleep.

* * *

When they had gone down two flights, Jem said, "Can we stop for a second, Tessa? I'm feeling a bit lightheaded."

"Of course," responded Tessa. They laid Will gently on the ground and sat next to each other with their backs against the wall. "He doesn't even really smell like alcohol," said Tessa.

"It's Will," said Jem, "I still wouldn't put it past him to get stone-cold drunk and not ruin his wonderful smelling essence."

Tessa giggled at this. "His essence?"

"What would a better word be without sounding a bit-," Jem paused for a second. Before she knew it, there was blood streaming from his lips in a line down his chin. He coughed violently and gasped erratically for breath. Tessa turned to him and took his hand to check his pulse.

"Jem?" she asked. There was something brushing against her.

"James? James? Are you alright?" said Will.

"Is he going to be alright? Should I go get someone?" asked Tessa urgently.

Will turned and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Tessa, go to your room. He'll be fine." Turning to Jem he asked, "Where is it?"

"O-O-On my nightstand," choked out Jem. Will reached into Jem's pocket, retrieved a set of keys, and took off down the stairs. Tessa didn't care what Will said, right now. She was staying until he at least got back.

She kept hold of his hand and stroked his hair out of his face. She tried to make soothing noises, but she didn't know many. Will came bolting up the stairs a minute or two later and put a hand on her shoulder. "Seriously, Tessa. Please leave. I'm begging you."

And with that, Tessa walked to her room, threw the books off her bed and onto the floor, and fell asleep just like that. On top of the blankets with her clothes still on.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Yes, I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY! SCHOOL HAS BEEN HELL, THEN ALL THE RELATIVES, AND PETER CAPALDI GAHHHH! AND I HAD BRONCHITIS, AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT! (no seriously, I had bronchitis) Anyhoo, I have a chapter for tomorrow. It's shorter, but it's kind of an important chapter, soooo... I hope your New Years and Channuzaa was amazing! I really don't know why you guys still read this. It's not very good, I update sparingly, and the characters are kinda ooc at the moment but I SERIOUSLY APPRECIATE ALL MY READERS, REVIEWERS, FOLLOWERS, WHATEVER YOU DO TO HELP THIS STORY MOVE! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Y'all should follow my tumblr because I update that a lot more often: foreverfangirlingbibliophile. OOOOHH, OOH, OOH, AND I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW SO KEEP READING!

**THANKS ~**Calliope Ferrer


	14. The Cover of Night

**accioswiftgames: **Haha, thanks. Yeah, I'm all better now. AND YES OMG WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SEPTEMBER WHICH MAKES ME SAD BUT STILL I ALREADY LOVE CAPALDI

**SilverCarstairs: **I need to stop being so predictable, dammit. Thanks sooooo much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

**bow down to me peasants: **They're about to get even more interesting...

**I am a fangirl forever: **As I said before, I need to stop being so predictable :)

**ShelbyHerondale: **Thanks so much! I'm really trying to stay as true to the books as I can and interpret them into my story.

**Personorwhatever: **Arse, I'm not sure if it's British, but it basically means ass. And, yes, I see what you did there :) Thanks

**Abbie: **Thanks, Abbie, but I think it's going to continue being Jillessa for now.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: SERIOUSLY, GUYS...**

* * *

He had left the party rather drunk, against his better judgement. Nate was sitting in an alley across from the school. Maybe Tessa should have doted on him rather than that damned Herondale girl. He closed his eyes. Trying to fall into a drunken slumber. No one would notice he was gone.

The light streaming through his eyes disappeared as shadows fell over his face. Nate opened his eyes to three figures. One was substantially smaller and skinnier, probably a woman, and two taller and figures whom Nate assumed were men. The girl was maybe 5'4 and had cropped red hair in a bob. Both of the men were well over six feet and one had platinum blonde hair while the other had a more sandy blonde coloring. Then he looked into the girl's eyes.

They were an unnatural shade of brown, almost a bright red color. Nate felt a rush of fear, but he wouldn't let them see it. "What in the hell do you want?" said Nate, obviously annoyed.

The girl stepped forward towards him and he immediately recognized her. "Miranda," he gasped in amazement. His ex who had transferred to another school for swimming, the Institute of Cadair Idris. She had left him heartbroken because of her betrayal and spying on the Shadowhunters. Her eyes had changed since he last saw her, they used to be the brightest aqua blue that Nate had ever seen besides maybe since the water at a summer trip to Lake Okoboji when he was ten.

"Nice to see you haven't continued your old habits," said Miranda in a sarcastic tone gesturing to his sitting, drunken form and putting her hands on her hips.

"Why are you here?" asked Nate, "You were banned from campus after that stint on the part of that school."

"Nate," she said with a playful tone, "you of all people should know that I couldn't give a shit less. Even so, you made your way off campus, now."

"But, still, why in the world are you here?" asked Nate, his voice growing more and more impatient.

"Your sister, Tessa, hmm?" inquired Miranda.

"What, Miranda?" said Nate as he was closing his eyes once again.

"Supposed to be a rather good swimmer, correct?" Miranda asked, now pacing back and forth in front of Nate.

This alarmed Nate. He straightened his posture and his eyes shot open. "Yes, but I'm still not seeing your point, Miranda."

"Well, the Automatons could use a freestyler like her," she came to a stop and looked directly at him, "With times like she has, we could beat the Shadowhunters just about every time. Not to mention, it would permanently cripple the swim team."

Nate let out a sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. "And what, exactly, do you want me to do about that Miranda?" he said.

"Get her to us," said Miranda.

"And just how do you expect me to do that?" said Nate, almost asleep.

"I don't know. That's up to you," Miranda chimed.

"Then no. What the hell?" Nate said defiantly.

"Well, if that's the way you feel about it," Miranda looked towards the two men behind her and they were on him.

* * *

On the dirty floor of the alley, Nate was laying in the fetal position. "What's in it for me, then?" asked Nate.

Miranda scoffed, "Do you really think you're in the position to be asking that?" Nate rolled the one eye he had that wasn't injured severely. "Well, I hate to see you like this Nate. If more of this can possibly be avoided, what are your conditions?"

Nate attempted to sit up, but failed and rolled back to the ground. Instead, he rolled to face Miranda and her henchman. "Three conditions. One, I want money. Enough to sustain myself for at least a year. Two, you and I rekindle things. Three, if anyone finds out, I mean even Tessa, you let me come to the school and swim there."

"I think we can get you those things. Just get Tessa convinced," said Miranda. "Just so you know, Nate, I won't think about it if you don't get that black eye fixed." Miranda had a smirk on her face. Miranda kissed Nate on the cheek and ran off with the men.

Nate reached up to the eye he assumed was the black eye and felt it. It was wet; he was crying. With that realization, he passed out or sleep consumed him; he didn't know.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Sorry, guys but better late then never, right? Yeah, I basically had to marathon a 2,000 word essay in less than 24 hours so I am very very sorry. And now we start the swimming terms... If you are wondering what something means or I don't explain it good enough, feel free to pm me, ask in reviews, or ask me on tumblr. I'm going to start a glossary now on tumblr, I think. If you want to look for that, it will be her when I actually start it: foreverfangirlingbibliophile tumblr com/tagged/IAGglossary (spaces are periods) And the announcements. I'M WORKING ON A NEW STORY! YAYYYY! But, I don't think I'll publish it before maybe March, so yeah. I am also looking for a beta now. I know I could look through hundreds of beta profiles for TID, but I want somebody who is enjoying this story already and could really help me improve my writing! If you're interested, reach out to me here or on tumblr. Also, I think I'm going to start an instagram so I can make pictures of what they're wearing and share excerpts and announcements on there, too. I do this anyway because it helps me visualize so I figure I might as well share it with you guys! idrisgifted is the username. Thanks guys, don't forget to R&R!

**THANKS ~**Calliope Ferrer


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